by C. King
For many years, I lived oblivious to the poverty in my community. Never once did it occur to me how many homeless there are in my hometown of Fayetteville. Whenever I would see someone walking down the road holding up “Feed Me. I’m homeless. God Bless” signs, I would roll my eyes and think badly about the person. Rather quickly, I categorized all homeless into the same, good-for-nothing category. “They must have been on drugs. I’m sure they did something stupid to be in that position” crossed my mind on multiple occasions.
It wasn’t until my church family and I began taking part in a homeless outreach ministry that I began to see homeless people as people rather than societal leeches. The first time I went, I was scared and nervous. I was going to be in close proximity to these dangerous people with nothing to protect me. Anytime a homeless person approached me, I made sure my father was nearby. I learned quickly, however, that these people are little different compared to the people I am surrounded by on a regular basis.
When I got home that night, I remember being so thankful for hot running water, my toilet, my bed sheets, and toothpaste. Simple household items which I had taken for granted before never meant more to me. That night I began to realize that even though my family is far from perfect, I have a family. Even though my house is not the fanciest, its walls are insulated and its roof is sound. It was in that moment as I lay in my bed that I realized that I really have everything I need.
For many years, I lived oblivious to the poverty in my community. Never once did it occur to me how many homeless there are in my hometown of Fayetteville. Whenever I would see someone walking down the road holding up “Feed Me. I’m homeless. God Bless” signs, I would roll my eyes and think badly about the person. Rather quickly, I categorized all homeless into the same, good-for-nothing category. “They must have been on drugs. I’m sure they did something stupid to be in that position” crossed my mind on multiple occasions.
It wasn’t until my church family and I began taking part in a homeless outreach ministry that I began to see homeless people as people rather than societal leeches. The first time I went, I was scared and nervous. I was going to be in close proximity to these dangerous people with nothing to protect me. Anytime a homeless person approached me, I made sure my father was nearby. I learned quickly, however, that these people are little different compared to the people I am surrounded by on a regular basis.
When I got home that night, I remember being so thankful for hot running water, my toilet, my bed sheets, and toothpaste. Simple household items which I had taken for granted before never meant more to me. That night I began to realize that even though my family is far from perfect, I have a family. Even though my house is not the fanciest, its walls are insulated and its roof is sound. It was in that moment as I lay in my bed that I realized that I really have everything I need.